Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Saintlouis.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Saintlouisxe2x80x99.
The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Fort Myers, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit, good vigor and strong branching habit, numerous inflorescences, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast and uniform flowering response, and good postproduction longevity.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in June, 1998, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as code number YB-5539, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as code number YB-4690, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, good vigor and strong branching habit, numerous inflorescences, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast and uniform flowering response, and good postproduction longevity.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in March, 1999. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Saintlouis has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or light level, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Saintlouisxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Saintlouisxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:
1. Uniform and outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Strong and freely branching growth habit.
3. Dark green-colored foliage.
4. Uniform flowering response and habit.
5. Early flowering, eight-week response time.
6. Daisy-type inflorescences.
7. Red purple and white bi-colored ray florets.
8. Good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about three weeks in an interior environment.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the parent selections primarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the female parent selection have pink and white bi-colored ray florets and plants of the male parent selection have white-colored ray florets.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Tijuana, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,083. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Fort Myers, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Tijuana in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more shorter than plants of the cultivar Tijuana.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more outwardly spreading than plants of the cultivar Tijuana.
3. Ray floret color of plants of the new Chrysanthemum was more intense than ray floret color of plants of the cultivar Tijuana.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum did not produce pollen whereas plants of the cultivar Tijuana produced large amounts of pollen.